


words don't come easy

by boys_in (kaleidosphere)



Series: MariHilda Week [4]
Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Chatting & Messaging, Fluff, Multi, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-21
Updated: 2020-01-21
Packaged: 2021-02-27 10:33:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,571
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22341865
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaleidosphere/pseuds/boys_in
Summary: "Oh, you'rebeautiful.""I think you've mistaken me for someone else."
Relationships: Cyril/Ignatz Victor, Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd/Claude von Riegan, Marianne von Edmund/Hilda Valentine Goneril
Series: MariHilda Week [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1600672
Comments: 19
Kudos: 168





	words don't come easy

**Author's Note:**

> A very late Day 4 of the [#marihildaweek on twitter](https://twitter.com/marihildaweek/status/1200228870529662976). This time, I chose the prompts modern AU and soulmates! In this case, soulmates have tattoos of the first words spoken to each other, and the tattoos will disappear once the words have been said.

**naughtfailing:** it’s sunday you know what that means

 **⚔️** **Hop Protection Squad** **🛡️** **:** Time to go to church?

 **naughtfailing:** ignatz you wound me

 **raffleLcurse10:** Game day!! Hell yeah!!!

 **Anne Rice’s Pansexual Vampire:** what does sunday mean

 **naughtfailing:** means i go out and try to find my soulmate

 **Leo-nee:** what if the reason you cant find ur soulmate is bc ur actively tryna look for them lmao

 **naughtfailing:** all the more reason i should look! reverse psychology kinda thing y’know

 **Dahyun’s Phat Ass:** omg omg please let us know!! you’ll be the first one if you do

 **✝️** : i don’t get it???

 **naughtfailing:** oh did i never tell you? my soulmate message says “what a beautiful sunday morning this is” 

**✝️:** omg really

 **Anne Rice’s Pansexual Vampire:** Yeah he mentioned it a while back

 **✝️:** i never saw this tho

 **naughtfailing:** you were probably at work haha

 **⚔️** **Hop Protection Squad** **🛡️** **:** At least your message is something normal and plausible! I have “Aw shit, I broke your glasses” 

**Leo-nee:** rip

 **Anne Rice’s Pansexual Vampire:** what if i drive to ur home and break ur glasses for u will that make u my soulmate

 **Leo-nee:** only if the tattoo disappears

 **Anne Rice’s Pansexual Vampire:** how will i know it disappears until i see for myself

i hope u got insurance bc im gonna break ur fuckn glasses

 **⚔️** **Hop Protection Squad** **🛡️** **:** Please don’t! 

**✝️:** don’t break his glasses

 **raffleLcurse10:** If you break his glasses, how will he see?? 

**Anne Rice’s Pansexual Vampire:** you guys are no fun

 **Dahyun’s Phat Ass:** i gtg my brother is so annoying omfg

 **Dahyun’s Phat Ass:** enjoy these bathroom selfies i took just now 

_myassisgrassandurgonnamowit.png_

**Leo-nee:** ahahaha

 **⚔️** **Hop Protection Squad** **🛡️** **:** aaaah!!! you look great!

 **Dahyun’s Phat Ass:** aw thx sweetie <3

 **naughtfailing:** sexy. how long were u in the bathroom before holst kicked you out

 **Dahyun’s Phat Ass:** 30 min lol

 **✝️:** you look great as always!

i also need to go. i’ll be back later!

 **raffleLcurse10:** bye! I’m head out too!!!

 **Leo-nee:** same. bye everyone! be gay! do crime!

 **Anne Rice’s Pansexual Vampire:** will do. ttyl

 **⚔️** **Hop Protection Squad** **🛡️** **:** bye everyone! be safe!

 **naughtfailing:** you too!

…

**Lorenz Hellman Gloucester** : I stg you guys always log off when I come back from afk

_Server name changed from “FEAR THE DEER” to “Chocolate Chip Cookie in a Raisin Bran World”_

/

/

Marianne sighed as she set her phone aside, plugging it in right before it died. She should really start charging it overnight, instead. 

At least that way, it seemed like a valid excuse to switch over to her laptop, and not just because she wanted an enlarged view of Hilda’s selfies. No sirree, nothing strange happening here. 

...Oh, who was she kidding? Marianne had a crush on Hilda, and she had it bad. She was always a nervous person, but around Hilda—and the rest of her friends, for that matter—she felt different, more natural. She kept to herself for the most part, passively going through school and bumbling her way through life. During her last year of high school, she took a chance, and started using social media again. She hadn’t maintained an active online presence since she was in middle school, when she used to hop between forums, or play games on Neopets and Club Penguin. 

Marianne liked a wide variety of things, chief among those her love for animals (specifically horses, therefore making her a ‘horse girl’) and her devotion to the Goddess. She was always worried, though, that her main interests would be looked down upon by others, especially during years where everyone carried themselves with cynicism and hatred. 

She was lucky, and managed to befriend a group of people who didn’t really care for any labels or boundaries. Their slogan was “like what you like” and she never felt ashamed to be herself, for once. It started as a group chat over Skype, but it evolved over time, and now they were friends on the same Discord server, among other things.

Of course, Marianne was anxious beyond belief, and never joined them for voice chat, video chat, or anything involving more than just her keyboard. She didn’t mind listening to them speak, but she dreaded speaking to them, and having them hear what an ugly voice she had. It was a childish, unnecessary, and outdated fear, but it was too powerful to give up.

Just like anything else, they didn’t hold this against her. Marianne was known as the quiet one and while the others frequented voice chats and streams together, Marianne always joined silently, but they welcomed her presence, all the same. 

They were teenagers when they first met. Now they were all in their early-to-mid twenties, with their lives going in vastly different directions. Claude was essentially self-made, even though his grandfather’s grandfather or whoever was rich beyond wildest dreams, he chose to make his own path in life. He was accepted into Garreg Mach University—GMU, for short—on a full-ride scholarship. 

Leonie, Lorenz, and Hilda also attended the same university, currently. Leonie was knee-deep in student debt but Lorenz and Hilda, stupidly rich themselves yet surprisingly generous about it, were always there to help her. On the other hand, Lysithea graduated from that university two years ago, as she was a child prodigy in every sense of the word, and couldn’t stand waiting before getting started on the next project. There were rumors that she might even teach at the University, instead, but even to her close friends she never revealed the truth until she was ready. 

That left Ignatz and Raphael, who couldn’t afford university or college one way or another, coming from lower-income families and deciding that more school isn’t what they need. So instead, Ignatz became a freelance artist, and Raphael got work as a mechanic in a car shop. Marianne recognized their skill and talent, though, if her constant commissions from Ignatz and her occasional car conversation with Raphael was any indication of it. If Raphael didn’t live so far away, she might even see him instead of the overpriced mechanic she _was_ seeing for her car. 

And after years of talking with each other, no one realized that all of them lived in the same state. Even if some of them went to the same university, their housing situations were all different, and it wasn’t until two years ago that Lysithea pointed out they were closer in time and space than they realized. 

It took a few hours—four at the max—for one of them to drive out and meet the others. Marianne lived the farthest away from everyone, but she’d rather spend time driving out to meet them, than be stuck in her home any longer.

Despite all their talks and engagements, however, Marianne only managed to meet Lysithea in real life, as her schedule simply didn’t line up with anyone else’s at the time. It didn’t help that they all placed considerable importance on finding their soulmate first, an endeavor which Marianne herself dreaded. 

Each person was born with a tattoo on their body. Usually it was on their arm or leg, but it remained visible no matter what. The tattoo was of words, said to be the first words your soulmate will ever say to you. A lot of people wondered if that applied to online relationships, as well, considering text and voice chat reigned supreme in modern-day society. 

Marianne wouldn’t know either way, since she was too nervous speaking to even her closest friends, but she heard enough audio clips and watched enough videos to understand that in her case, she needed to be face-to-face with her soulmate.

Just the one soulmate. Marianne confirmed a long time ago that she only had one of the identifying-tattoos on her body, as opposed to two or more. Lysithea had two tattoos, in comparison: one on her left arm that said, “Excuse me, but are you almost done with that book?” and a phrase on her right arm which read, “Fucking hell, I—are you okay? That asshole wasn’t paying attention to where he was going.” Both of them left plenty of room for speculation, especially since GMU had thousands of students in attendance. 

Marianne used to go there for a short time, as well. She dropped out after two semesters, when she realized through back-breaking amounts of stress that school just wasn’t for her. Instead, she decided to move back in with her family, taking up part-time jobs at locally-owned business stores, and volunteering at the Church of Seiros. She also devoted lots of time and energy to animal shelters and rescue efforts, keeping herself busy and fulfilled all the while. 

Between all of her obligations, though, Marianne always set aside some time for her dearest friends.

Her own soulmate-identifying tattoo was worrisome. Some people had one-word tattoos, simple things like “Hi,” “Hello,” “Oops,” “Ouch,” or even “Yuck!” Others had entire soliloquies: monologues recited by actors in a play, opening addresses in a politician’s speech, or worse, an entire lecture given by an irate professor. Marianne was lucky she wasn’t one of those people, but she still had problems in her own three-word phrase.

_Oh, you’re beautiful._ Printed on her left forearm, she often obscured the tattoo with her sleeves, only to secretly ogle it later in the day. Three words, which she knew by heart. _Oh, you’re beautiful._ The words were written in black ink; bold lines that never disappeared no matter how hard you tried. 

Oh, did she try. And it wasn’t that she hated the idea of having a soulmate, or finally meeting them in person. She was simply afraid of failing their expectations, and disappointing them entirely. There were instances where people often dumped their soulmates, and chased after their longtime crush or remained in their current relationship, instead. There were others who were soulmates in name only—usually celebrities who used soulmates as a publicity stunt. Sometimes, things didn’t work out. 

And even if those were normal, everyday occurrences, Marianne didn’t want any of them. She wanted a happy ending of her own. She wanted to find the one she was destined for, a shred of stability she could claim, a person she could give to and take from in equal measures, balancing out her imbalanced flaws, overwhelming her with their perfect light.

She wanted certainty, even if she lacked the strength to find it herself. 

Even if she let it pass her by, wind through a hollow. 

/

/

**Hilda! Hilda! Hilda!** texts: _Are you free this Saturday?_

 **Marianne 🐴** texts: _Yes, why?_

 **Hilda! Hilda! Hilda!** texts: _Do you wanna meet up? we always say things like we’re gonna but we never do! no pressure, though, just asking. it’s okay to say no_

 **Marianne 🐴** texts: _Actually, that sounds great. I can drive to your place._

 **Hilda! Hilda! Hilda!** texts: _yay!!! omg thanks so much i’ll even treat us to lunch im so excited_

 **Marianne 🐴** texts: _You don’t have to do that!!! I have money I can pay for myself_

 **Hilda! Hilda! Hilda!** texts: _no i insist! don’t feel guilty over it, it’s been a long time since i did something nice for you. saturday, 12pm sound good?_

 **Marianne 🐴** texts: _sounds good to me!! text me your address so i don’t forget_

 **Hilda! Hilda! Hilda!** texts: _for sure!_

Marianne put down her phone and sighed. She agreed, but part of her was worried that Hilda would be disappointed with what she saw. Marianne posted selfies in the group chat, once, but that had to have been at least two years ago. Everyone else was so much more open than she was, and even though they kept reassuring her it was okay, she felt guilty for not trusting them more, and posting more pictures of herself, or keeping them up to date with her real life endeavors.

It was less of a trust issue and more of a disappointment factor. She never worried that her photos would be leaked—that they were all fakers, catfishers, liars and pretenders in disguise. She wasn’t worried about identity fraud or anything of the kind. 

She dreaded the thought of being _perceived._ They had her old photos, still, and they definitely had a mental image of what a girl named Marianne von Edmund would look like. They already had their preconceptions about her, and so to debunk their theories—to appear before them and prove to them just how _ugly_ she was in reality—was a frightening thing to think about, let alone do. 

She was a coward, simple and plain. She didn’t see a way around it. 

Yet Hilda might be different. Lysithea met Marianne in real life, too, but she was always concerned with her soulmates, and too busy with moving up the higher academic echelons to really focus on other things. The entire day they spent together was fast-paced and hazy, as Marianne moved much more “slowly” than Lysithea expected her to. It wasn’t all bad, though, as the two of them shopped for clothes and books. They even had lunch at a trendy food truck, and spent the rest of the afternoon tasting sweets at different bakeries. Despite Lysithea unintentionally acting annoyed the entire time, Marianne considered it one of the best days of her life.

Hilda wouldn’t be nearly as assertive, though. She was fun, cheerful, but always lazy and unwilling to do more than was necessary. The group chat was enlivened by her stories, as well as the accounts of all her misdeeds—those which sent her older brother, Holst, into his own kind of frenzy. 

And if Hilda really did take those bathroom selfies recently, she was just as gorgeous as Marianne thought her to be. She didn’t doubt Hilda, or the pictures she constantly posted, but she wondered if Hilda was actually beautiful, or if Marianne’s desperation made her _think_ she was. 

Perhaps it didn’t matter either way.

Marianne set her phone aside, and delved deep into the covers of her bed. Saturday was two days away, and yet it felt like an eternity until then. For once, she didn’t have any work or volunteering to do, and her parents were blissfully absent as they chose to take a week-long vacation, visiting relatives in the countryside. These next few days would go by pleasantly, with everything falling into place.

As if fated.

/

/

**Dahyun’s Phat Ass** _changed their nickname to_ **hozier is a millennial**

 **hozier is a millennial:** did you guys know that

 **⚔️Hop AND Bede Protection Squad🛡️:** No way!!

 **Anne Rice’s Pansexual Vampire:** He’s born in 1990 this is old news

 **naughtfailing:** wtf he’s not an immortal? 

**raffleLcurse10:** why would he be immortal

 **naughtfailing:** bc he doesn’t age! like anne hathaway or keanu reeves. 

kinda like a modern day vampire if u think abt it

 **Leo-nee-sama uwu:** please stop validating lysithea. please

 **✝️:** oh i forgot lysithea is into vampires

 **Anne Rice’s Pansexual Vampire:** wtf i am not into vampires ))): 

**raffleLcurse10:** But I thought you were Anne Rice’s Pansexual Vampire???

 **Anne Rice’s Pansexual Vampire:** can u hoes recognize comedy when u see it

 **Lorenz Hellman Gloucester:** I, for one, appreciate your intimate knowledge and meme-ification of Anne Rice’s works. I support you in your endeavors wholeheartedly, Lysithea!

 **Anne Rice’s Pansexual Vampire:** ur not making this any better

 **Lorenz Hellman Gloucester:** u like vampires how can i make that better

 **⚔️Hop AND Bede Protection Squad🛡️:** I can’t believe I’m asking this, but can we _please_ stop talking about vampires?

 **naughtfailing:** said the vampire

 **hozier is a millennial:** “said the vampire” said the former #TeamJacob

 **Leo-nee-sama uwu:** LMAO

 **⚔️Hop AND Bede Protection Squad🛡️:** asjaksljskldjdkljs

 **naughtfailing:** stfu

 **✝️:** were you really team jacob

 **naughtfailing:** i wasn’t

 **hozier is a millennial:** he was

 **raffleLcurse10:** How’d you know that? Unless…? 👀

 **hozier is a millennial:** bitch i was team edward so i know this

twilight was peak 2010’s feral culture

 **Anne Rice’s Pansexual Vampire:** idk bc stephanie meyer is a hoe and a coward

 **✝️:** omggg

 **Anne Rice’s Pansexual Vampire:** Now, Anne Rice on the other hand—

 **Leo-nee-sama uwu:** i hate you. die

 **⚔️Hop AND Bede Protection Squad🛡️:** That’s kinda mean ): 

**Anne Rice’s Pansexual Vampire:** shes not insulting me shes reciting her soulmate tattoo

 **naughtfailing:** YIKES

 **hozier is a millennial:** yikes x 2

 **Lorenz Hellman Gloucester:** I’m sorry, what?

 **Leo-nee-sama uwu:** you guyssss my tattoo doesn’t say that at all

 **Lorenz Hellman Gloucester:** What does yours say, again? You never told us before.

 **Leo-nee-sama uwu:** “I’d say it’s nice to meet you, but that’s not true.” 

**raffleLcurse10:** aw

 **naughtfailing:** that’s just plain mean

 **✝️:** do you think it’s an ex?

 **Leo-nee-sama uwu:** no bc i saw my ex recently LMAOOO

 **✝️:** oof

 **hozier is a millennial:** wow leonie i can’t believe u and ur soulmate are the irl enemies to lovers trope

 **Leo-nee-sama uwu:** STFU HILDA

 **hozier is a millennial:** im gonna make a spotify playlist for you guys and the only song is “if we were a movie” by hannah montana

 **⚔️Hop AND Bede Protection Squad🛡️:** alksdjfalskjf

 **Anne Rice’s Pansexual Vampire:** qzxxzqxzxqxxqzzqz

 **naughtfailing:** please share when you make it

 **hozier is a millennial:** no need to share i’ll play it right now

 _Azura_Bot playing:_ “If We Were a Movie” by Hannah Montana

 **Leo-nee-sama uwu:** too bad i cant hear shit im deaf

 **hozier is a millennial:** i got you

 **hozier is a millennial:** uh-oh

 **naughtfailing:** there you go again talking cinematic

 **⚔️Hop AND Bede Protection Squad🛡️:** YEAH YOU

 **Anne Rice’s Pansexual Vampire:** ur charming got everybody starstruck

 **Anne Rice’s Pansexual Vampire:** i know how u always seem to go

 **raffleLcurse10:** for the obvious, Instead of me

 **hozier is a millennial:** but get a ticket and you’ll see!

 **naughtfailing:** IF WE WERE A MOVIE

 **⚔️Hop AND Bede Protection Squad🛡️:** IF WE WERE A MOVIE

 **Anne Rice’s Pansexual Vampire:** u’d be the right guy

 **raffleLcurse10:** if we were a movie!!!

oh shit

 **Lorenz Hellman Gloucester:** And I’d be the best friend, that you’d fall in love with

 **⚔️Hop AND Bede Protection Squad🛡️:** In the end we’d be laughing

 **hozier is a millennial:** watching the sunset

 **raffleLcurse10:** WATCHING THE SUNSET

DAMN IT

 **naughtfailing:** fade to black, show the names

 **✝️:** play that happy song

…

_Server named changed from “Chocolate Chip Cookie in a Raisin Bran World” to “gone.”_

_Server icon changed to black_square.png_

**hozier is a millennial:** omg y’all are so dramatic!! well guess what this saturday i’m gonna hang out with my REAL friends

 **Leo-nee-sama uwu:** who?

 **hozier is a millennial:** marianne, duh!! who else would get off their lazy ass to drive to my house

 **⚔️Hop AND Bede Protection Squad🛡️:** not me

 **Lorenz Hellman Gloucester:** Certainly not I.

 **naughtfailing:** i’ve never even been to your house

 **hozier is a millennial:** Claude we were roommates for 2 years

 **Anne Rice’s Pansexual Vampire:** and they were roommates!

_Several others are typing…_

_Six users said at once: “And they were roommates!!”_

/

/

Saturday. Marianne stepped out of her car, shutting the door on the way. She arrived at Hilda’s home after a few light hours of traffic, and to say the Goneril family was rich was a severe understatement. 

From the twenty-foot-tall iron gates, to the private chauffeur and entourage, to the double doors that had an army of security cameras and lasers equipped, Marianne could safely say the Gonerils were _stacked._

Hilda opened the door before Marianne even knocked. She grinned from ear-to-ear, mouth open to greet her with something endearing, like “took you long enough!” or “Marianne!” Instead, the smile dropped as soon as it formed, her eyes widening at the very sight of her, as if she had never seen another person before. 

Marianne was afraid that all her worst fears had come true. She clung to the strap of her messenger bag, digging her nails passed the fabric and into her skin until she nearly drew blood. _Look away, look away, look away_ —those were the thoughts cycling in her head, along with an ungodly amount of _I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry._ She knew she was hideous, but she just had to drive all the way out to hear it firsthand, didn’t she? 

Marianne couldn’t speak. 

“Oh,” Hilda said, “you’re _beautiful.”_

/

/

“I think you’ve mistaken me for someone else.” 

/

/

Marianne, without thinking, pushed up the sleeve of her left arm. The words were small, minute, and written across her forearm in black ink. However, they faded at once, as if each word lifted itself off her skin like letters on a page, dissipating into the air in curls of light. 

Hilda mirrored her, only she had to reach down and pull up the cuffs on her jeans, instead. She rolled the denim all the way up to her knees, which was more than enough to reveal the fading existence of another soulmate-identifying phrase: _I think you’ve mistaken me for someone else._ The letters disappeared outward in, and Marianne watched the last of the letters, the word “mistake,” spiraled into the air, dissolving into glitter. 

Neither of them said anything, for fear that breaking the silence would break this moment. As if any other words would damage their relationship, or cause everything to go in reverse. They waited until every last letter was gone from their skin, each black stain uncoiling at last. 

When it was all gone, time seemed to stop, and Hilda gasped in its absence. “Oh my Gods,” she cried out. “You’re my soulmate? And I’m yours?” 

“I-I—” 

“You don’t have to commit to anything just because our marks disappeared together,” Hilda pointed out. “It happens all the time. My dad married my mom over his actual soulmate, y’know. If you want, we can pretend this didn’t happen and—” 

“No, I want this,” Marianne insisted. “If it’s okay with you, then it’s definitely, one-hundred percent, okay with me.” 

“Are you sure?” 

“I’m sure. It would be nice to have things go _right,_ for once.”

/

/

**✝️💙❤️:** how was everyone’s weekend?

 **naughtfailing:** great! i found my soulmate

 **hozier is a millennial** _changed their nickname to_ **💗**

 **💗:** who is it omfg

 **naughtfailing:** someone i knew in hs

 **💗:** on god???

 **naughtfailing:** yup. pretty crazy if you ask me

 **Anne Rice’s Pansexual Vampire:** we ARE asking you claude. please explain

 **Lorenz Hellman Gloucester:** ^^^

 **naughtfailing:** i went to the park like idk why i did but i just went there

i sat on a bench after a while and the guy next to me

he deadass goes “what a beautiful sunday morning this is” 

**⚔️Hop AND Bede Protection Squad🛡️:** Aw how sweet!!! Congrats!!

 **raffleLcurse10:** you went to high school with him? 

**naughtfailing:** yeah and he goes to GMU right now, but we don’t have any classes together

 **leo 🦵🏽:** whats his name? i think i know who ur talking abt omg

 **naughtfailing:** it’s dimitri

 **💗:** WHAT

 **leo 🦵🏽:** I KNEW IT

 **✝️💙❤️:** oh...if he’s tall and blond w blue eyes i know him!!

 **Lorenz Hellman Gloucester:** really?

 **✝️💙❤️:** he volunteered at the animal shelter once! i recognize his name

 **naughtfailing:** that’s him. he said it was for beefing up his resume tho haha

 **💗:** well congrats!!! now you can stop hoping for soulmate rng on sundays. good for you

 **Anne Rice’s Pansexual Vampire:** i’m in town next week so bring ur soulmate and let’s hang

 **raffleLcurse10:** all of us??

 **Lorenz Hellman Gloucester:** I should think so! It would be rude to mention but not invite

 **Anne Rice’s Pansexual Vampire:** you fucking egg you think i dont know that

 **naughtfailing:** why not? it’s about time all of us got together

 **leo 🦵🏽:** sure but when

 **Anne Rice’s Pansexual Vampire:** all week next week is good for me so whenever 

**⚔️Hop AND Bede Protection Squad🛡️:** How about Wednesday?

 **💗:** no can do iggy boy! i got a date on wed

 **⚔️Hop AND Bede Protection Squad🛡️:** NICE GET THAT BREAD

 **💗:** thx sweaty <3

 **naughtfailing:** and who’s the lucky one that gets to go out with you on weds??

 **✝️💙❤️:**...that would be me

_Several people are typing…_

_Five users said at once: “WHAT”_

_One user said: “Leonie you owe me 20 bucks”_

/

/

Wednesday was date night, but Thursday was a night out on the town with friends. 

Marianne and Hilda held hands, and were ridiculed lovingly by all their friends in attendance. 

“I told you so,” Lysithea said smugly to Leonie. “I told you they’d get together.” 

“Fuck,” Leonie said, eloquently. “Yeah, you were right. I just didn’t think it’d be so easy.” 

“What do you guys mean?” Hilda narrowed her eyes at the two of them. “Explain that little bet of yours while you’re at it.” 

“I bet Leonie twenty bucks that you guys would start dating,” Lysithea proudly recalled. “And clearly, I won.” 

“Out of the blue? Y-You’re lucky, then…” Marianne blushed as she averted her gaze, unable to look her dear friends in the eyes. 

“It was more than being lucky. Anyone could see the chemistry between you two. It was _painfully_ obvious,” Lysithea said, in as-a-matter-of-fact tone. “You were too busy being _gay_ to notice though.” 

“Well, congrats for being richer, Lysithea. It’s not like Leonie has student loans or anything.” 

“Ha,” Leonie scoffed. “Twenty bucks is...well, I’ll make it back. Maybe Lysithea should come over and wash the dishes to make up for it.” 

“Why not? Things are boring at school and I have nothing else to do.” 

“Hey, you crazy kids.” A smooth voice resonated from behind them, and the girls turned at once to face the man, the myth, the legend himself—

“Claude!” they cried out. Hilda rushed in for a hug first, squeezing him tightly as if she hadn’t just seen him the other day. Leonie followed suit, though her embrace was short she gave a slap on the back for extra measure. Lysithea’s hug was even shorter, but it gave time for Marianne to wrap his arms around him, squeezing tightly at his back. 

He rubbed her shoulders before letting her go. “Wow, the others sure are late, huh?” 

“Lorenz said he’s on his way.” 

“There’s Ignatz and Raph! Hey you guys!” Hilda waved them over, and their group was joined by the two of them soon enough. “What’s crackalackin’?” 

“Please never say that again,” Ignatz pleaded as he hugged Hilda. “And great! So much has happened the past few days that I can’t even keep track of it.” 

“Oh, yeah, for sure! You gotta tell ‘em, Iggy.” Raphael’s laughter boomed over all of them as he exchanged bear hugs with everyone. He took extra care around Marianne, but she felt her bones crack under his forceful touch, anyway. “It’s the greatest thing, somethin' right outta storybooks!” 

“What happened?” Leonie asked. “Wait, don’t tell me—” 

“My soulmate!” Ignatz cheered, while pulling up a picture on his phone. “Four days ago!” 

The group gathered around him as he showed off the selfies. From what Marianne could see, Ignatz was smiling happily with another boy his age, one with dark hair and a stubborn expression. They were sitting in front of an ice cream parlor, giant scoops of caramel vanilla visible in the shot with them. _I want ice cream now,_ Marianne thought to herself. She looked to Ignatz with a smile on her face. 

“I’m happy for you, Ignatz.” 

“Thanks so much! His name is Cyril, and right now he’s working a bunch of part-time jobs. He works at Starbucks and—” Ignatz’s face turned even redder— “he was my barista when I met him.” 

“No way!” Hilda screamed, then covered her mouth with her hands. “So he’s the one that broke your glasses?!” 

“Yeah, he, he knocked them over and they cracked. He looked at ‘em and said, well, y’know.” 

“Then what did you say to him?” Lysithea prodded. “What did you say?” 

“I said ‘That’s okay, I’ve been needing new ones, anyway.’” 

“Wow,” Leonie muttered. “Wow, wow, wow. Well, I’m happy for you guys. Y’all should bring your soulmates over and we should have a meetup.” 

“Invite them to the group chat?” Marianne murmured. “Since they’re close to us and all…”

“Ah, maybe a _separate_ group chat,” Claude proposed. “We can keep our Golden Deer between us, can’t we?” 

They continued talking like that, over matters big and small, pondering their pasts and presents with wondrous eyes. They almost forgot that they were actually supposed to _do_ something today—visit museums and art galleries, go for a fancy lunch in the veranda, courtesy of the heir Riegan himself—rather than gossip on the sidewalk, taking up space for anyone that wanted to walk past them. 

A sleek black car pulled over, and Lorenz emerged from within. He seemed rather fussy, especially when his arrival didn’t attract the attention he wanted to. 

Everyone was buzzing, except for him. 

He coughed loudly. “Excuse me, but must you always leave me out of the loop? I can’t imagine what kinds of things I missed out on because you people got here abhorrently early.” 

“Aw, come on, Lorenz,” Leonie laughed. “We’re not excluding you.” 

“Yeah,” Claude agreed. “Because if we did, we’d make sure not to tell you in the first place.” 

“You’re all awful!” Lorenz cried out, but joined the circle in his usual place, anyway. Marianne giggled softly as she reached for his arm, and he relaxed at her touch. “At least _someone_ here was raised with manners.” 

“Marianne was raised politely so she can straighten me out~” Hilda teased, playfully kissing at her soulmate’s cheek. “So don’t get the wrong idea, Lorenz!” 

“H-Hilda…”

“Disgusting,” he groaned. “Soulmates this, soulmates that. Can’t we enjoy a normal day without a fated encounter, for once?” 

“Don’t be such a downer, Lorenz. Just because you haven’t met your soulmate yet doesn’t mean they’re not out there, somewhere. Maybe you’ll bump into them at one of those art galleries we’re going to.” 

“Oh, please, I just want to have a fun day without other things getting in the way. It’s not often—or at _all_ —that the eight of us are here together, at once.” 

“He’s right,” Raphael said. “Hey, anyone got their phone on them? Let’s take some photos right now before we get started!” 

“I agree,” Hilda piped up. “Here, we can use mine! I just got the newest model, isn’t it nice?” 

“I’ll set it up,” Ignatz offered. “Can I?” 

“Go ahead.” 

They got together in one huddle, erupting in laughs and mindless chatter. Lysithea didn’t want to be in the front, but they argued she wouldn’t be seen in the picture otherwise. But Leonie hated being surrounded, so she put herself at the end, and snagged Lysithea closer to her. All the while, Lorenz was lecturing Raphael about eating right before they were taking a picture—the barbecue sauce will get in the shot, you madman!

Hilda was in between Claude and Marianne, pulling Marianne a bit closer to her as she asked, “You good?”

Marianne found her soulmate and was surrounded by her friends. Better yet, her soulmate _was_ one of her friends, and she was brilliant and shining—an angel who Marianne hardly deserved. 

But she indulged in her light, anyway. With a quiet hum, she snuggled against her, feeling the softness of her clothes, and the warmth of her breath in close proximity. She nodded. “I’m great.” 

“Okay, guys. I got it ready.” Ignatz had Hilda’s phone up on a selfie-stick, and he stood in the middle of the group to command their attention and silence. “In ten, nine, eight—”

“Oh, shit.” 

“Raphael, that better not be barbecue sauce on my shoes!” 

“It’s not, it’s—”

“Say cheese!” 

The camera flashed. 

Marianne smiled. 

/

/

**Claude** texts: _Dimitri is such a dork. He’s never heard of so many things and I feel old_

 **Hilda** texts: _Awwww you guys are so cute! where’d u go this time_

 **Claude** texts: _Went out for pizza and drinks. He loves cheese an ungodly amount_

 **Marianne** texts: _I’m glad you two are having fun!_

 **Hilda** texts: _same but im curious bc ur tattoo said “what a beautiful sunday morning this is” right_

 **Claude** texts: _Yeah and?_

 **Hilda** texts: _what was HIS tattoo?_

 **Claude** texts: _you have to promise not to laugh_

 **Marianne** texts: _why?_

 **Hilda** texts: _oh honey thats impossible just suck it up and tell me_

 **Claude** texts: _fine fine. you have to understand, i’ve been going out to random places every sunday since i was, like, nine so i was shocked it finally worked for once_

 **Hilda** texts: _i remember! Holst used to lecture me every time i snuck out with u_

 **Claude** texts: _so dimitri, who i haven’t seen since high school, is there next to me, and he’s my soulmate_

 **Marianne** texts: _aah..why am i getting nervous_

 **Hilda** texts: _bruh please get to the point_

 **Claude** texts: _my tattoo is there, on the back of my neck, dissolving bc i can feel it, and im staring at dimitri and the only thing that comes out of my mouth is_

 **Claude** texts: _“Deadass?”_

/

/

“So your whole life, you had a tattoo of one word, one _single_ word on your collarbone, and it said ‘deadass?’” 

Dimitri, uncomfortable, looked to Marianne for help. She could only give him a sympathetic smile as he withered to dust. “T-That’s right.” 

Claude, pinching the bridge of his nose, sighed. “Hilda, don’t—” 

She fell to the ground laughing, taking Marianne down with her. 

Falling never felt so good before. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed! The other soulmates for the rest of Golden Deer aren't specified, so feel free to speculate, haha. Also, I might have made Marianne's experiences a little too based off of my own, so sorry if that shows in my archaic sense of humor x) Nonetheless, I appreciate each and every one of you! Thanks again for the support!


End file.
